Family affair in attorney general race?

Sly and the Family Stone may be called upon in the state's 2010 attorney general race to provide a campaign song.

Similar to Bill and Hillary Clinton's, "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Happy Days are Here Again," there's a chance both the Republican and Democratic candidates for attorney general could use the 1970's funk band's "It's a Family Affair."

On one side is Susan Bysiewicz, the secretary of the state. Currently her campaign is bogged down in a legal dispute over whether she comports with the constitutional requirement that a candidate for the office of attorney general must have practiced law for 10 years.

Former state Sen. George Jepsen and state Rep. Cameron Staples, other Democratic candidates in the race, are pressing the case.

Bysiewicz is well-known and has high name recognition. In fact, she led all Democrats for the gubernatorial nomination before leaving that race to run for the position of Connecticut's top cop. (Her next legal battle should be to file suit against whoever advised her to abandon the gubernatorial race.)

If not for her legal dust-up, Bysiewicz would be a strong attorney general candidate. A January poll had her with a 52-point lead over Jepsen. Her challenges are great to be sure, but do not count out the diminutive Bysiewicz. Her smile hides the fight of champion boxer Manny Pacquiao and the bite of a cobra.

With all this drama on the Democratic side, and since the party of "working families" has held the office of attorney general for as long as Hawaii has been a state, perhaps it's time for something different. A Republican maybe?

What would add to the richness of this campaign season is a good family feud. Republicans who have already announced for Blumenthal's seat are attorney John Pavia and state Sen. Andrew Roraback. Both would bring strong legal and political bona fides, but respectfully, no family intrigue.

GOP comes a-courtin'

But there is another qualified Republican who is not yet in the race. That candidate is Ross Garber, who is related by marriage to Bysiewicz. After initially saying he would demur on the AG race to maintain family harmony, Republicans are wooing him to run. And Garber is rethinking his decision.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut Law School and a partner with Shipman & Goodwin, Garber is no stranger to hard work. His client list is a rouges gallery of corporate and political interests, most notably former Gov. John Rowland and more recently, South Carolina's Gov. Mark Sanford. Garber is quick to point out that his job was representing the governors' offices, not the individuals.

He has also worked with the office of the attorney general on many high-profile cases, including state constitutional law, consumer protection, antitrust and health care fraud. Garber has the legal skills to well represent the citizens of Connecticut, albeit with less fanfare than the current occupant.

Garber is no political neophyte. He ran for state treasurer in 2002 and raised more money and garnered more votes than all other Republican candidates except the governor. There is no reason, should he decide to eschew public financing, that he won't be able to raise a considerable war chest and organize a statewide operation to match any Democratic nominee.

If Garber decides to not pursue the seat, Pavia and Roraback would be strong GOP candidates.

Some people think the idea of a Republican winning the Connecticut attorney general's position is simply wishful thinking. But voters' frustration with anyone in power is palpable these days. And here in Connecticut the party with the most power is the Democrats. That's why Democrats in Hartford are expressing deep concern that a political tsunami could be headed to Connecticut next fall.

And Garber vs. Bysiewicz. It could happen. Imagine that Thanksgiving dinner. Pass the yams, please.

Ben Davol is a veteran of numerous local, state and federal political campaigns. Once a Republican organizer, he is now registered as unaffiliated.